TECH NEWS: RATED
"R" FOR ROUNDUP

BMI IN BED WITH MSN & YAHOO
BMI has signed a long-term music licensing agreement with MSN Music and Yahoo!, offering access to million of songs from its roster of songwriters. The agreements cover any music distributed on the MSN Music service and Yahoo! sites. Visitors can access digital music for a fee, which will be collected by the sites and distributed as royalties to the BMI songwriters, composers and publishers in rolls of nickels and quarters.

SANYO PUTS OUT
Sanyo recently shipped its hand-held, recordable, SDMI-compliant audio music player. The player uses Verance copy protection and content management technology, enagling users to record music into a Secure MultiMediCard (SecureMMC) without having to be connected to a PC. The Verance/SDMI copy-protection watermark provides security for music rights holders as well as a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.

MUSIC CHOICE GIVIN' IT AWAY
Music Choice announced its next free concert series, featuring Radiohead, Five for Fighting and Smash mouth, beginning December 31. The Radiohead segment will air between December 31 and January 13, followed by a doubleheader with Queensryche and Corrosion between Jan 21-27. Each 60-minute show features concert performances, behind the scenes footage, interview segments and free popcorn refills.

SONICBLUE SOLICITS ITS GOODS
SONICblue introduced its Rio Advanced Digital Audio Center, a home stereo system that can organize and access entire CD and digital music collections, functioning as a music distribution center for downloading music. For just under $1,500, consumers can find the tracks you want instantly, create unlimited playlists, write custom CDs and transfer music to Rio portables or a Rio Receiver elsewhere in their home. The stereo component will begin shipping in late January, and will help in communicating with those aliens whose signals you've been receiving up until now through your tooth fillings.